Martin C. Eldridge III, 35, [address redacted], pleaded guilty … to one count of violating the Clean Air Act. He agreed to a 31-month prison term and 200 hours of community service as part of a plea deal.

According to court documents, Eldridge and others stole 49 air conditioners for parts in 2013. During the thefts, Eldridge cut tubing that ran from each unit to the building it serviced, and that released the refrigerant HCFC-22, also known as Freon [22], into the air. HCFC-22 is a threat to the ozone layer and is regulated under the Clean Air Act.

Let this be a lesson to those of you who believe the Environmental Protection Agency is of no use at all.